Matchless Arsenal canter past Rovers and record

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Thierry Henry: broke through after missing early chances. Photo: Reuters

Arsenal 3 Blackburn Rovers 0

On a breathtaking, record-making night, the invincible, irresistible force that is Thierry Henry and his Arsenal teammates rewrote history and an enraptured Highbury stood in salute.

This victory, initially cagey, ultimately comfortable, was their 43rd successive league game without defeat, so erasing Nottingham Forest's 26-year-old mark from the statistical books.

Henry finally struck five minutes after the break, thundering in Dennis Bergkamp's cross, but the Frenchman could have sewn up the points in the first five minutes.

Beginning as if they had pressing dates elsewhere, Arsene Wenger's men threatened to overwhelm Blackburn while referee Neale Barry's opening whistle was still floating away on the gentle night breeze. Henry, inevitably, kept calling on Brad Friedel's goal, twice forcing the experienced American into saves.

Gamely manning the barricades, Blackburn stood firm until Henry broke through, his goal swiftly followed by a second claimed by Gilberto, although Francesc Fabregas appeared to have the final touch.

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"That's why we're the champions," crowed the North Bank as lightning struck twice after the break. Pace, athleticism, technical brilliance and a will to win make Arsenal eminently capable of responding to the challenge laid down by Chelsea's third consecutive win 24 hours earlier.

Wenger's players have an inner belief that if they keep testing for flaws in their opponents' defence, they will prevail.

Arsenal needed their persistence on Wednesday. For 50 minutes, Rovers did well. There is resilience in this team of Graeme Souness's, a refusal to yield that so characterised the Scot's own celebrated playing days at Liverpool. Until five minutes into the second period, Friedel was well protected by two banks of four.

Further forward, the busy figures of Jon Stead, tall and alert, and Paul Dickov, short and stroppy, took it in turns to shuttle back and bolster midfield. Dickov, a former Arsenal striker, also took great delight in hounding Pascal Cygan, the weak point of the champions' defence.

Emboldened, Rovers briefly created chances. Belying his stopper status, Craig Short flung himself upwards and connected with a meaty volley that Jens Lehmann clutched well. Back came Arsenal, racing forward, this time led by the restored Robert Pires.

One break saw him elude Brett Emerton, his pace and persistence carrying him clear, until the Australian nailed him with a late challenge. Pires kept threatening down Arsenal's left, at one point back-heeling the ball arrogantly past Lucas Neill to release the receptive Ashley Cole.

Again Blackburn regrouped and launched themselves back upfield. Dickov was an occasional irritant to Arsenal's defence, even embarking on a run midway through the first half that culminated in a low strike smothered by Lehmann.

Yet the quality in the champions' ranks could not lie hidden for long. Seven minutes from the interval, Henry ushered Jermaine Pennant down the right, Bergkamp dummied and suddenly Fabregas was presented with a wonderful opportunity, but the Spanish teenager blazed horribly wide.

No matter. Arsenal simply seized the lead five minutes after the restart. Fabregas, busily keen to make amends, found Bergkamp down the right and the Dutchman's cross was designed to cause maximum pain to Rovers' centre-halves.

Back-pedalling nervily, Short and Nils-Eric Johansson failed to deal with Bergkamp's cross or Henry's determined run. Meeting the ball first time, Henry drove it with the outside of his right boot into the roof of Friedel's net.

There was more. Eight minutes later, Henry's corner was met powerfully by the head of Gilberto. The Brazilian's effort was arrowing goalwards until Fabregas applied the coup de grace on the line.

Arsenal had not finished. With 11 minutes left Henry raced 45 metres, brought a save from Friedel, collected the ball again and coolly laid it on for Jose Reyes to drill into the net.